怀念敬爱的导师、杰出的地质学家和古生物学家尹赞勋先生

尹赞勋教授是我国一位杰出的地质学家和古生物学家,他把自己整个一生贡献给中国地质学的发展和进步。本文记述他在中国科学院地质研究所工作期间的部分学术生涯,并涉及他指导年青科学工作者如何进行化石的研究,如何有效地开展科学研究,如何阅读英文书籍和文献等。所有这些教导对正在从事地质和古生物研究的年青一代将有重要意义。

TO THE MEMORY OF OUR RESPECTED TEACHER,DISTINGUISHED GEOLOGIST ANDPALEONTOLOGIST, PROFESSOR YIN ZANXUN

Professor Yin Zanxun is a Chinese well--known, distinguished geologist and paleontologist. He was educated at the university of Lyon, France at his young age,and was conferred the national Ph.D.degree of France. During the early thirties,he returned back to China and worked on the development and progress of the Chinese geology. He was very active in the field of stratigraphy and paleontology, and had made great contributions. During this period, he also trained many excellent statigraphers and paleontologists who are now playing great role in developing geology of China.Prof. Yin is of wide knowledge and solid foundation in paleontology. In his whole career, he worked on many branches of invertebrate paleontology, even on vertebrate paleontology, except Fusulinids and plant fossils.Prof. Yin was very enthusiastic for guiding us to study various taxa of fossils. He said: "At the beginning of the study of any kind of fossils, one needs to read numerous references concerned. Then he could find out which might be most important and critical for his study. For every beginner, they must pass through this course ."Marine Mesozoic deposits and fauna in China are well-developed only in Xinjiang and Tibet regions. None of these deposits and their fauna were found in South China. Untill the late fifties a well-preserved early Liassic marine fauna was not discovered in Guangdong Province. This new discovery was interested in by many people worked in the field of stratigraphy and paleontology. In the autumn of 1961,Prof. Yin took Mr. Zhang Shouxin and me to carry out a field trip to Guangdong Province. During this trip we examined some early Liassic strata exposed in Kaiping and Enping Counties in Middle Guangdong and the vicinity of Shaoguan City in North Guangdong, and collected abundant, precious bivalve fossils from that strata. In 1962, according to Prof. Yin's arrangement I started to study these bivalves.Because of little experience for identifying these fossils at that time, I was greatly puzzled, then I requested Prof. Yin to give me some information on main references of these marine Jurassic bivales. Prof. Yin kindly accepted my request and spent many time to critically check the list of the references from the "Jurassic Geology of the World" written by Arked, and picked out the most important articles for me,thus greatly stimulating my study of the Jurassic bivalves.In his study of various fossils, Prof. Yin applied a set of unique, scientific and efficient approaches of research. When he read various works or papers, he usually noted down the main contents. In his identification of various fossils, he critically compared his materials with those genera and species described earlier, and wrote down the comparisons with great details, as well as other contents, such as authors,titles of articles, pages, plates and figures on his note-books, then he composed his scientific papers by using directly these notes rather than original papers. With the help of these scientific ways of research he obtained great successes within shorter time.In his researches, Prof. Yin was of rigorous, serious and careful style of study. He did not reach his conclusions without reading numerous papers. Sometimes at the end of his essay only a few papers are listed, which are representatives of many articles he read.For the work, Prof. Yin was of strict and serious attitude, ever seeked refinement for his study. He never shrank from any difficulties in his study, and made every effort for climbing the peaks of science. He viewed his work as the most important thing in all his life. Who are harmful to the work will seriously be punished by him. These attitudes had been running through all of his academic activities.Prof. Yin always instructed us to work hard with the spirit of patriotism and internationalism for the prosperity of our motherland, and asked us to get scientific results being at the high, advanced standard in the world. He hated the errors occurred in our work with a really hellish hatred. His strict criticisms will be an important